LAJJA

A controversial literary composition by the Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasrin brings the bigotry, fundamentalism & communalism that perpetuated around the Hindus of Bangladesh during the aftermath of the Babri Masjid demolition.The story revolves around the life of the Duttas who get entwined to the entire chronology of events conceptualized by mindless bloodthirsty fanatics in Bangladesh. An atheist Suranjan who finds solace in the mighty hands of communalism, his father Sudhamoy, a patriot who detests defecting from Bangladesh to India amidst the communal riots, his sister Maya who falls prey to the lustful jaws of human barbarism & his mother Kironmoyee who keeps the photographs of Radha-Krishna close to her & pray for the save arrival of her daughter.

The novel encompasses the entire phase of how Bangladesh was conceived & the advent of its religious fanatism. The dark corners of religious dogmas have been widely highlighted throughout Taslima’s writing. She dauntlessly essays a complete list of attacks on the Hindu Temples, large scale confiscation of lands owned by Hindus, molestation of women etc. Certain Muslim association in Bangladesh highlighted such writings as antisocial & “communal”, thus banning the book & issuing a FATWA against Taslima.

A Chinese proverb says “My Religion is Simple,
My Religion is Kindness”. Lajja demands a rationale outlook by every human regardless of caste, creed or religion to outweigh Religion through the basic tenets of Humanism. The Masjid dispute was complimented by genocides of Hindus by Muslims & Muslims by Hindus. What Lajja highlights is amidst an environment of religious extremism have humans relinquished the ability to introspect. Lajja is definitely a must read for everyone who wishes to read about the savage indictment of religious extremism & how to curb man’s inhumanity to man.